New tool aims to make tough end-of-life talks easier in the ER
NCT ID NCT03833622
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study is testing a decision aid tool to help older adults (age 60+) and their doctors have better conversations about goals of care in the emergency department. The tool is designed for patients at high risk of critical illness. Researchers will collect feedback from patients and doctors to improve the tool and see if it increases satisfaction with these important discussions.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 230 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2018
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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60 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion: 1. Patients presenting to Mayo Clinic Rochester, Saint Marys' Emergency Department, 2. Patients at high risk for critical illness as determined by an Elderly Risk Assessment (ERA) score ≥ 16 or as determined by provider discretion, 3. ≥ 60 years of age, 4. Ability to provide informed consent, 5. Medically stable at the time of enrollment, 6. Able to participate without causing a delay in care. Exclusion: 1. GCS scores \< 15, 2. Signs of altered mental status, 3. Known to be pregnant, 4. Incarcerated or in Police Custody, 5. Communication barriers such as visual or hearing impairment that may preclude use of the decision aid.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
3 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Mayo Clinic in Arizona
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGScottsdale, Arizona, 85259, United States
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Mayo Clinic in Florida
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGJacksonville, Florida, 32224, United States
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Mayo Clinic in Rochester
RECRUITINGRochester, Minnesota, 55905, United States
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